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一级律师

Name: 一级律师 (First-Class Lawyer)
Rating: 4.42 (89 reviews)

Yan Suizhi, the young and accomplished dean of the interstellar Maze University’s law school, wakes up in a body that has been gene-modified to resemble that of a twenty-something-year-old. He had supposedly ‘died’ in a premeditated explosion a few months ago but someone had managed to save him. In his search for his saviour as well as his murderer, Yan Suizhi encounters his former student, Gu Yan, who is now a successful lawyer at Southcross Law Firm.

GenresScience FictionRomanceMysteryLGBTChinaAdultMystery Thriller

1800 pages, Webnovel

Published January 1, 2018

80 people are currently reading

629 people want to read

About the author

Mu Su Li

84 books159 followers

Associated Names:
* Mu Su Li (English)
* 木苏里 (Simplified Chinese) / 木蘇里 (Traditional Chinese)
* มู่ซูหลี่ (Thai)

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5 stars

250 (54%)

4 stars

157 (34%)

3 stars

40 (8%)

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7 (1%)

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2 (<1%)

Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews

yel ᰔ

637 reviews199 followers

September 18, 2023

★★★★★ [5/5 stars]

I've read Mu Su Li's novels before, such as GUEE, Mou Mou and Copper Coins, and I LOVED those three novels from the bottom of my heart. So I really have so much expectations on this novel. I was not disappointed even a bit, and it even exceeded my high expectations!!

The plot is really well-paced and the characters, not just the MC and the ML, are fleshed out. I love the perfect balance of law-related cases, romance, drama and humor in this one. Loving the MC and ML is a given, I'm even unbelievably attached even to the supporting characters. Perfect amount of plot-twists and everything about the plot has perfect sense. The extremely small details that you would think are there just for the sake of it and sometimes also has the posibility that you would overlooked it, but you would suddenly discover a few chapters ahead that it's not just a decoration, but a sprinkle of foreshadowing *chef's kiss*

There are many technical terms but this wouldn't stop you from understanding the cases clearly. The cases that you thought are unrelated, but are actually interconnected with each other, and I'm freaking amazed with how the author handled it! I'm always into badass characters, both physically and intellectually, and clever characters are of course what I'm always looking for. Yan Suizhi (MC) and Gu Yan (ML) are both that kind of character. Their personalities are not bland, they're realistic and I'm very much satisfied it!

I've said this before with my reviews of Mu Su Li's other works, but her writing has this ability to draw me in. The flow of the words, the poetic way of narrating without unnecessary and overly flowery words, the humor. I'm in love with very part of the writing. Of course, kudos to the translator, luckykoi, as well for the wonderful effort of translating this amazing novel. I have no other complain on this novel except for the fact that I wished there's more of it. I would have loved more cases defended by our two First-Class Lawyers.

Seriously, this novel is high up there on my recommendation list. It's very obvious from the 5-star rates from the majority of the reviewers in NU, but this novel is a gem! Please please please read this novel!!!!

THAT CONFESSION KISS!!!

2022-reads danmei favorites

263 reviews38 followers

December 2, 2025

was a delight to read, but there were some issues in this that detracted from the experience! i really, really enjoyed all the law aspects of this and the plot was always so interesting when it focused on that. very immersive and fascinating. the main character is absolutely amazing and i loved him a lot. he was so witty and sooo funny. probably one of my all-time favourite protagonists in damnei. if i had to talk about highlights in this novel, it’s probably those two.

the romance was moving pretty well… i liked it a lot before they got together. it was moving in a slowburn direction where the main character was oblivious and there was at first, one-sided love from the male lead’s end. but, i don’t get how the main character fell in love because there was literally nothing from his perspective for him to realize he was falling in love. just one or two crumbs of how the male lead was special but, nothing romantic or sexual (other than, oh, this guy is handsome). if they continued in a direction where there was more and more added and the main character slowly realized his feelings (which could’ve been possible because a 200 chapter novel…), it could’ve been amazing. but, that didn’t happen and i felt that them getting together was really abrupt and there wasn’t any internal conflict from the main character and it was a big flat-nothing. so, when they were a happy couple, i could only be like okay…. sure, you’re cute, but now, i don’t really care. nonetheless, pre-them getting together, i really enjoyed it. and throughout the novel, their dynamic was very funny and made me laugh out-loud.

the plot was solid for a good chunk of this. if it was focused on just law-related stuff, i probably would’ve deliberated on giving this five stars. but, it entered this sci-fi mystery realm which i don’t think was done really well. i was constantly in a state of disbelief that two lawyers… were able to uncover all of this and not only that, just be super good at spying and stuff? it was very unbelievable. and just the sci-fi aspects weren’t done that well - it was basically involving gene experimentation and i’m normally not a fan of sci-fi involving that because i think it’s something really basic and nothing shocking. in this time and day, gene experimentation is nothing huge as well for me to say wow! this is so interesting! so, for the most part of this mystery, i was really bored and didn’t care enough. i also thought that the universe? they were in could've also been explored more. (also, another issue is that these two didn’t face any problems? everything worked out well for them which is slightly annoying.)

like i mentioned before, the main character was amazing. the male lead was the typical silent type. i didn’t care about him - maybe i would’ve if we got more inside his head but, we didn’t so i didn’t care about him. but, he didn’t annoy me and he served his purpose, i guess. the side characters weren’t too bad themselves. many of them were pretty memorable. there was this side couple that got this really healing moment after a lot of angst on their end and i don’t know if it was because i just woke up, but, it made me tear up.

even though i had some issues, i don’t regret reading this! i still really enjoyed this and liked a lot of it. definitely a great read.

webnovels

Stacie

341 reviews36 followers

May 24, 2024

I really do love this story and I’m giving it 5* because I will reread it if it is ever officially published in English BUT reading it as a web novel made it feel tedious at times. I got lost occasionally and it's so hard to look things up in a Web Novel vs in a physical book or ebook.

Absolutely ADORED Gu Yan and Yan Suihzi's relationship dynamic as Student x Teacher turned Teacher X Student. Nice balance of plot with the lawyer cases/investigations, romance, friendships, humor, and drama. The sci-fi part of this story is very simple and easy to understand. Slowwww burn but once it gets there it’s non stop smiling during their interactions.

✔️Younger Gong X Older Shou
✔️Teacher x Student (but after graduation)
✔️Slow Burn
✔️Modern Sci-Fi with Mystery/Crime
✔️Grouchy with a soft heart MC
✔️Cold-ish but charismatic and lovable ML
✔️MC/ML both smart/intelligent/clever and work together

This is my first Mu Su Li novel and it makes me excited to read Global Examination soon.

asian-and-asian-inspired danmei-read diverse-read

V.ya

438 reviews34 followers

April 18, 2024

Patience is needed when reading this story, because it takes time to build each element and weave them together into a complex, coherent and beautiful tapestry.

My interest did fade a bit in the middle. I also found the world building a bit vague at that time. Some elements were too convenient (for example, the whole universe speak the same language; travel between planets only takes 1-2 days at most, etc). I can overlook it because it wasn’t the focus of the story, but if you’re looking for a solid space opera story, I suggest you look elsewhere.

But luckily the plot and pace picked up again, and the futuristic world got better and better described and illustrated. As I said above, every element clicked together, giving us an ending so satisfying, and leaving me in awe when realizing what Mu Su Li has done. She truly utilized every event and every character to their maximum potential.

danmei

NiaKantorka

272 reviews

September 6, 2025

5 stars

This book was a joy to read.

First Class Lawyer is a story about lawyers set in a science fiction universe. Next to the legal cases gene modification is the other main topic of this danmei and the combination of both made for a very charming mixture. I loved to watch court dramas/shows while being a teen and tween and this book managed to bring those memories back and evoked the same joy. I found the cases and trials very entertaining and it was great fun to see that they were not only connected to our dean turned intern, Yan Suizhi (aka Ruan Ye, MC), and our lawyer and former student, Yan Gu (ML). I’m not working in the law field but it seemed to me that the author researched a lot to write up those cases.

When it came to the gene modification the research wasn’t done as well, but I know a lot more about that topic and can say the author’s ideas stood on a bit of a shaky ground here. I could bore you to tears about how you don’t need any wild surgery for gene modifications (as far as those are possible atm). If you’re interested, you could look into the concepts of genomic and proteomic testing to find targeted therapies or into gene therapy with CRISPR / CAR-T cells and so on. Nonetheless, it was used very well to drive the plot forward and the proceedings still made me cross my fingers for the different people being affected by it.

I loved two things the most about this story:

1. The sense of humour present in most of the characters, especially in our power couple of lawyers, but also in many side characters. I mean, even the villains were sometimes hilarious, when “treated” by the author (aka they had to deal with our MC and/or ML).
2. The side characters were gems: I would like to name them all, but am afraid I’d might spoil some plot points. So let’s mention the best friend Joe and his family (they were especially funny when they interacted with each other), the gene researcher, his friend, and the landlord, Miss Fitz and Laura.

It was easy to laugh myself silly at times over this book. There were also great moments between our leads, but - honestly - as sweet as their relationship was I was way more invested in the overall plot. Guess, that would be a bummer for people whose focus is mostly on the romance of a danmei but it didn’t faze me at all.

My only regret throughout the whole story was that I didn’t have more leisure time to read (there was always something when I had just sat down to disrupt my reading time).

Mello

306 reviews28 followers

December 30, 2024

10/5⭐

English title: First-Class Lawyer

I have been very lucky with the danmei I read this year, and this one was one of the best. I would have liked to see 100 more chapters of the main couple and their daily life, that's how much I loved them.

I read a review saying this book makes you feel smart while you are reading it, and at the end you feel that your IQ has increased. And the truth is that this is quite accurate. The plot seems super complex at first glance with complicated crimes to uncover and all part of a huge puzzle that leads to a plan with decades of preparation. Putting the pieces together is impossible, and yet, the book leads you step by step to the answer without much explanation, just the right clues can make the reader feel like a super detective!

The funny thing is that it is difficult to qualify this novel as a detective story, because the protagonists are lawyers! And their job is to defend the criminals who seem to have committed the crime! It is a new twist in this kind of genre, at least I have never read a mystery from this perspective.

The crimes, the suspects, the trials, the explanations, everything was well structured and with a coherent logic. It's important to clarify that the judicial system is unique for this story with a futuristic environment and with a different technology and culture, only some details will be similar to ours.

The world building was incredible too. Some details were not explained in depth because they were not of much interest for the plot and others simply escaped the capacities of my imagination.

Leaving aside the incredible story and the complex world where it takes place, the best part was the romance! I was prepared for a much longer slow burn and for the misunderstanding about MC's identity to spread and it didn't! Awesome. The chemistry between these two characters is among the best I've read. Their interactions, communication, the trust they learn to place in each other and the hurt/comfort vibes make them one of my favorite couples! Both characters had an unexpected level of depth in their construction and enough qualities to make them human, even as they were presented to us as geniuses in their field.

What to expect:
📍Futuristic setting
📍Lawyer MCs
📍Power couple
📍Mystery plot
📍Long pinning
📍Morally grey characters

danmei favorites ficción

Helen

1,243 reviews38 followers

April 1, 2025

So enamoured by this except for some minor stuff, which isn't enough to dock off my rating anyway. Quickly becoming Mu Su Li's fan but even after two books, their specific tropes are absolutely distinct. I'm suspecting if I read more of their books, I'm going to find more memory loss and identity stuff with a batshit world whih is extremely contained and lawful.

__1000-pages-more-or-less _5-stars adult

Zoey

508 reviews5 followers

March 14, 2025

Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan make being lawyers look not only thrilling but enjoyable (minus all the danger). It almost makes me want to ignore my dad’s advice to never get into law.

The premise of Yan Suizhi being almost killed and forced to undergo gene surgery to look like a new person was intriguing, and even when the cases could have slowed the plot down, I was pretty engaged most of the time. Also, the setting being in space, where they regularly travelled between planets, was a minor detail in the full scale of the story, but I thought it added just that much more.

Plus, I’m always a sucker for the stories about one character being altered, but the one that cares about them recognizes them anyway. I think it’s the idea of being known that well that I find really heartwarming.

Although the story took a little longer to get through in the later chapters, it was still good all the way through. While the romance is definitely prevalent, I got the feeling that it wasn’t the most important part by the end. After Gu Yan discovered Yan Suizhi’s identity and their feelings for each other were resolved, I felt like more time and effort was spent on developing the cases. This wasn’t a bad thing, but it’s definitely something to note.

Also, I will always mourn that we didn’t get more time with Ke Jin and Joe. Most of the time, I get annoyed that authors spend so much time on the side couples (because I usually don’t care for them), but this was the one time that I actually really wanted more content and got absolutely nothing. Barely even crumbs.

danmei

Kim Dokja

39 reviews6 followers

March 15, 2024

5* para first class lawyer!! Fue de lo mejor, Mu Su Li hizo un excelente trabajo JODEEER, me encantaron los personajes, me encantaron los casos, me encantó como se iba creando una tensión poco a poco para después sacarla del estadio con increíbles capitulos, debo decir que nunca perdí el sentimiento de emoción/tensión/ansiedad(Ke Jin es para ti) en todo este recorrido. Realmente no puedo expresar mejor mis sentimientos porque acabo de terminarlo y sigo EMOCIONADA y a la vez me siento triste SOY LA DE "SE ACABÓ ESTE VIAJE SE ACABÓ ESTA AVENTURA". En fin, todos deberían darle una oportunidad a first class lawyer ESTOY SEGURA QUE NO SE ARREPENTIRÁN!!!

Deem

151 reviews23 followers

August 30, 2022

The author is the same who wrote Global Examination, what more can I say than this?? I loved this so much aaaaaah ♡♡

danmei favorite-books read-in-2022

kaylina

509 reviews31 followers

January 16, 2025

The inky night was infinite, immense, seemingly dormant with the great unknown.

And yet overhead, the sky was waxed in starshine. Of planets light-years yonder vaulting the horizon, a vast river of twinkling light whereon stars constellated.

Just as how there were always some roads in this cosmos-once set foot upon, you'd be safe in the knowledge that you're never alone.

lo & behold my biggest reading accomplishment of 2025 and the year just started lol

on the one hand, it’s a relief to have finished this story that i started late last year. it means that i can officially look ahead with fresh anticipation to my 2025 reading list!! on the other, every moment i had with this story was never met with any frustration or impatience because i was utterly enthralled with it.

i loved the futuristic setting as much as i loved the dissection of evidence in court cases. i loved this incredibly well-rounded ensemble cast of characters as much as i loved the focus on gene splicing and experimentation. they all fit together so seamlessly, and i loved this author’s vision of what the kind of technology explored here in a futuristic society could do to aid the old-aged morals of the justice system—and also find loopholes to sneak past it 👀. it was all so vivid and definitely complex at times, but it didn’t read as difficult to me as i would’ve thought??

the more i read, the more the chapters seemed to flow by. i don’t quite know if it was a matter of just really good pacing or the author being able to write such short chapters with an extensive series of information. all i know is it made getting to the last quarter of this translation feel really exciting as all the pieces were being put together. the tension was amping up more & more until i was racing through it all and i had an amazing time.

i’m glad i took a leap with this story that initially daunted me, because it made me leave 2024 with even brighter eyes of what more intriguing danmei i could find.

thank you to luckykoi for all your helpful footnotes & comments while translating such a massive sci-fi novel, and for other readers in the comments validating me in certain theories and emotional scenes. i was very late on the mu su li train but im just happy i got to be a part of it all.

here’s to more treasured gems!! 🥂

content warnings:

major: medical content, and exploration of medical trauma (in relation to genetic experimentation)
moderate: drug use, mental illness (caused by outside forces), and grief
minor: alcohol abuse, and multiple references to premeditated murder

danmei sci-fi

Nattapan

2,392 reviews77 followers

August 2, 2023

Definitely entertaining!

P.S. The book title in Thai is "คุณทนายความขั้นหนึ่ง".

chinese-fiction-in-thai-language yaoi-fiction

dikshya

209 reviews

June 12, 2024

WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE.

Mu Su Li bends over backwards to connect her farfetched ideas together that the plot just ended up seeming superficial and poorly done. Some of the plot devices were also just a little too convenient and felt low stakes. . This was the exact reason why I disliked Global University Entrance Examination: the plot was disjointed from the writing and some of the explanations given to make sense in the plot were goofy as hell. So much so that this book could be categorized as a badly written comedy.

The plot is a joke to the author and this entire novel was so frustrating to read. I am so disappointed because I actually really like Yan Suizhi but I was too busy dodging the plot holes to give him the attention I wanted to. The genetic tampering plotline in theory was also so interesting, but the fact that it was badly explained made it laborious to read through.

I am actually more upset than anything because I came into this so excited to read it, but the plot was not done well.

Also WHEREEEE was the chemistry between the two leads...I am so sorry but Gu Yan had no appeal to him Yan Suizhi was carrying.

cnovels

majka♱

111 reviews

November 5, 2023

omfg i love them so so much, this book was SO good like actually. the mc is really well written, but not only him the ml ofc as well but even the side characters?? i got so attached to them and they just feel real. the plot was amazing, the world building, the cases, if only i hadn't suddenly stopped reading it halfway through, lorddd. ‘cause of that the experience wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, but nonetheless i still freaking loved it.

Marzipop

625 reviews107 followers

March 30, 2023

4.2, a lot of fun. Reminded me of Case Closed a little :)

Cris

67 reviews14 followers

January 10, 2023

Muy cuqui, divertido y adictivo. El misterio es fácil de seguir, los personajes secundarios son lindos, los casos son interesantes y el estilo narrativo muy gracioso. No me queda muy claro de dónde salen los sentimientos del prota (no sé si es por la traducción o por la novela en sí) pero como la pareja es tan adorable lo compensa.

richa ⋆.˚★

1,126 reviews217 followers

November 25, 2024

4.5/5 🌟

I wasn't familiar with your game Mu Su Li.

danmei-baihe-cnovels

gowri

394 reviews

January 6, 2023

Honestly I was ready for it to be over before the story was even halfway through; yes it wrapped up plot elements pretty neatly but for the life of me I could not connect with the characters nor the plot. IDK if it was the writing/translation style or something else but yeah I almost wanted to give it 2 stars just because it was so long it almost made me wanna DNF despite it being just an okay read lmfao.

chinese gay

ami

210 reviews26 followers

June 1, 2023

Nothing will beat my love for Global University Entrance Examination 全球高考 but this book definitely comes close and once again reminded me how obsessed I was about the former book, and Mu Su Li's impecabble way of setting the plot and relationship dynamic as fluidly as possible.

The plot is very neatly structured it gets how to maintain a pace that serve things better in the long-term, that even if you've reached 200 chapters it never felt stuck or going all over the place. Not only the main characters, the supporting characters occasionally got their own spotlight and each of their story were plenty intriguing;I absolutely enjoyed bits of them showing up here and there.

The relationship dynamic between Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan was really natural too. They had similar trait especially when handling work, and maybe because of that you didn't really get that one-moment realization but instead was shown how their love story developed in a way I'd never expect going for. It's just so...laid-back and at some point I was so utterly disappointed by it, and yet when the relationship had become more steadier, the more I found endearing theirs to be. It's just so normal, mature, and still full of flairs as if they've been at it for years.

If there's a thing that hold me back from giving this a full five stars, it's probably the lack of courtroom scenes which I deemed as the most enjoyable segment of the book. I'd love more stories about them being lawyers but as there are mysteries to unfold, we didn't really get many of them, at least to what I'm expecting when I dived into this.

If you'd love to read a danmei with a futuristic interstellar setting and going along with both MC and ML as they defended multiple cases and fell into a stable and wholesome relationship along the way, you'd definitely love this. Mu Su Li can do no wrong for me at the very least xD

danmei

Tefi ⟡♡

141 reviews

March 31, 2024

4.5 ��️

“I am a First-Class Lawyer of the Alliance. By the supreme law of the Great Interstellar Era, I solemnly swear to defend all of your given rights.
In the light of truth eternal, justice shall endure evermore.”

No puedo creerlo. Esta novela ha sido increíble. Hace tiempo que no me reía tanto con un personaje, es tan hermoso no puede ser.

Ahora bien, no tengo ninguna queja sobre esta novela, es más, ha cumplido con todas mis expectativas y la verdad es que creo que haberlo leído en inglés y no de alguna traducción al español me ha hecho interesarme más por la lectura dado a que la traducción era más accurate en algún sentido si se podría entender(?.

De cualquier forma, la relación de Gu Yan y Yan Suizhi se me ha hecho muy linda y, no, yo con ellos estoy enamorada, necesito una relación como la de ellos. Asimismo, los personajes secundarios, Joe, Ke Jin y Fitzz de ganaron mi corazón. Es muy raro ver una novela que pueda darte esta unión de personajes secundarios involucrados en la trama de la novela de forma excelente a como lo hizo esta escritora, y para ser mi primera novela de ella me ha dejado con ganas de leer más de su pluma y, si pudiera, seguir leyendo más de estos personajes que me han tocado el corazón.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.

2024 danmei

Agnessa Contti

97 reviews8 followers

September 25, 2022

Acabé de terminar de leer la novela y tengo una sensación cálida en el pecho. Me gustó muchísimo. 💕✨️
Tenía la carrd de First-Class Lawyer guardada desde hace un buen rato. La traducción estaba cerca del final, así que decidí lanzarme y, ay, amé este libro. Cómo el caso se fue entrelazando hasta el juicio final, cómo Yan Suizhi y Gu Yan se manejaban en la corte... ah, todo fue tan exquisito. Es que, escuchen, tiene abogados y una ambientación futurista, ¡es perfecta!
Y la relación de Yan Suizhi y Gu Yan. [Se pone la mano en el corazón]. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. Gu Yan es la clase de persona a la que Yan Suizhi le puede contar lo que sea, no importa cuán insignificante parezca, y siempre va a estar ahí apoyándolo. Yo sé que Gu Yan se puso a llorar de la felicidad por dentro cuando Yan Suizhi le pidió matrimonio. Mu Su Li logró crear una gran química entre los personajes. A veces solo se miraban y tú podías sentir la tensión a flor de piel.
La pareja secundaria también se llevó mi corazón. Joe y Ke Jin, sean felices, se lo merecen. 🤧
En fin: no sé qué más decir para que corran a leerla. Es una joyita. Espero que llegue a más personas <3.

Bells Barbosa

53 reviews2 followers

October 5, 2024

It starts slow, it takes some time to get into it, but the mystery is superb, MuSuLi's writing is top-notch, the facts, and the way the plot is revealed to you is an EXPERIENCE. Seeing the pieces fall into place was SO GOOD.
But more than that, MuSuLi is excellent at creating characters you have no choice but fall for, they're deeply complex, flawed and so life like that it hurts. I ended up loving both Yan Suzhui and Gu Yan, but also Miss Fitz, Lin Yan, Joe the little fool and Ke Jin and rooting so much for them, Joshua Dale and even Miss Laura and Miss Eunice.
It's my third novel from MuSuLi and I can certainly say I love all of them.

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Céline

15 reviews1 follower

May 27, 2025

I’m already starting to miss silly Yan Suizhi and peppermint Gu Yan

Loved the last parts where everyone from various backgrounds started to work together to clear the last case

I also liked how a lot of things are foreshadowed and secretly interconnected throughout the story

God Yan got the best skills at driving cars, even though he's unlucky with plants (except for our peppermint ~)

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San

44 reviews20 followers

December 25, 2022

What a book...

I started it when its translation was still ongoing and then put it on-hold to let the chapters pile up for me to binge read.

It had bit of almost everything I like and is almost a 5 star novel if not for some nitpickings I have abt the story. The end trial was certainly one of the best that I have read in novels (even tho this is set in a different reality with different laws and regulations)

Overall, an enjoyable read.

e-books standalone translated-into-eng

Winter dweller

36 reviews

Read

February 19, 2025

DNF 69%

Wsrtfedgtb

17 reviews2 followers

Read

December 20, 2022

Dianna

864 reviews60 followers

October 10, 2022

First-Class Lawyer is my fourth Mu Su Li novel and hands down my favorite out of the bunch! I have so much love for this story. Every time I started reading, I’d get engrossed in the story for a couple hours and would have trouble putting it down.

The story follows Yan Suizhi, the dean of a prestigious law school, after he’s saved from a random hotel explosion and given a new appearance through genetic modifications. He wakes up 6 months after the explosion with barely anything to his name under his new identity as Ruan Ye and promptly infiltrates the ranks of a prestigious law firm’s intern class in order to investigate what happened. He somehow ends up as the intern of Gu Yan, one of his previous students who hated his (the dean’s) guts and never contacted him after graduating.

What I appreciated most about this novel was that the story is very well written and flows easily from one arc to the next. And even though the overall storyline is fairly intricate as the two main characters slowly dig into and uncover a big conspiracy, but it was never confusing as the author broke it down in a way that made it easy to follow. She also must’ve put some effort into planning, as elements from the earlier arcs made an appearance again near the end to contribute new information. The careful planning can be seen with the foreshadowing as well, which was done really well; I completely missed some of it until I read the translator’s notes or some of the comments.

Speaking of which, the translation was amazing. Kudos to luckykoi for a good job!

The two main characters are also a key part of what made the story enjoyable. There’s nothing more satisfying than reading about two intelligent individuals who are on the same wavelength work smoothly together in partnership. More often than not, YSZ will quickly understand what GY is getting at without him needing to say to much, and vice versa. I also loved’s Yan Suizhi shamelessness and how he can say pretty much anything without batting an eye, even at the beginning when he was supposed to be a timid intern under Gu Yan. No wonder GY was suspicious about him right from the beginning, as YSZ didn’t interact with him like a typical intern would. And then we have GY, who is a cold workaholic, but YSZ is the only person he’ll show his soft and caring side to.

**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**

I was glad the author didn’t drag out the truth of YSZ’s identity between him and GY. GY had his suspicions from the start and was able to confirm his intern’s identity very quickly based on his speaking patterns and some personal habits, so this never became a major plot point and instead we could jump right into what I wanted to see: them working together as equals.

The story started out with two small cases handled by YSZ and GY: Joshua Dale’s and Chen Zhang’s cases. Joshua’s case was easily wrapped up in that they were able to prove his innocence, but we never got closure on who the real culprit was. I would’ve liked to know, even if it was in passing at a later point. Luckily we did get that closure for the second case, as the culprit there was more relevant to the overarching story, and we even got some backstory about it later. For the second case, YSZ's defense was brilliant! He completely discredited the prosecution and cast suspicions on a different person in the process.

From that point on, we start on the Elderly Bobblehead case assigned to Gu Yan, which is directly tied to the overall conspiracy lead by the Manson brothers. Over the course of the investigation, we learn more about how everything from the death of YSZ’s parents to Ke Jin’s condition to the viral contagion is all tied together. Serious kudos to Mu Su Li for planning and writing such an involved story!

The cast of supporting characters was great as well. I loved Joe’s trusting nature even though he grew up in an environment that didn’t encourage that kind of openness, and once we got to know his sister and father, I was glad to see they’re all on the side of our protagonists. One instance of foreshadowing I caught involved the Old Fox, when in one of Eunice’s old videos he mentioned something about practicing ambidexterity. I immediately made the connection to the mysterious donor to the Wine City consortium, which Joe himself noticed a couple chapters later. I also mentally cheered when Fitz revealed her reasons for joining Southcross and was able to help them clean up the law firm of anyone with ties to the Mansons. There’s also the doctor Lin Yuan (I was actually a bit suspicious of him initially because he kept popping up so much), the “landlord” Mervyn White, and his adopted son Jack White who I wasn’t sure about but was happy to learn that he was a double agent helping GY and YSZ all along. Last but not least, I can’t forget the reporter Bens, who finally got his big scoop from YSZ as promised XP

There were plot twists peppered in throughout the story which kept things interesting. The one about identifying the Sweeper via his pet herdingbird was brilliant, and I don’t know how YSZ realized this point but kudos to him for noticing. My favorite foreshadowing was related to this, since after the bird connection was pointed out, a commenter noted that Ke Jin was always looking at the birds even in previous chapters. I thought that was so sneaky of the author! The biggest twist (and my personal favorite) that had me mind blown came at the end, when GY notices his client Horace Lee folding his napkin in a certain way that revealed his identity as the Sweeper. I had no idea that’s who they had in custody, given how deeply loyal the Sweeper has been to the Mansons, but it makes so much sense why he was so paranoid about being in police custody now.

The relationship between GY and YSZ was really sweet. Starting from the lamp pine trees planted just for YSZ to GY’s feverish confession to YSZ slowly opening himself up to GY after 20+ years of being alone and having no one to confide to, it was a beautiful relationship to witness. Sure, YSZ has no qualms throwing GY under the bus or snipping at GY with his sarcasm, but at the end the day, they’ve each other’s strongest supporters and have each other’s backs.

I mentioned earlier in my review that the writing and translation were both done really well. Here are some examples:

Once, someone had commented that Yan Suizhi resembled a deep lake. It appeared gentle and mild but was cool to the touch. No one could ever tell how deep it really was from ashore. You couldn't tell what he liked, what he disliked, nor could you tell if he was happy or upset.

There were some who tried to reach the bottom, yet never knew where to even begin, and were either left dejected or shrinking back at the sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All of those repressed feelings never spoken in his school days that writhed wildly and soundlessly like the creeping of ivy, petering out into nothingness; all of those absurd thoughts that secretly gleamed in the glass windows in the office, in the sunlight on a corner of the table, in the brilliant flecks of light that illuminated the city from the balcony -traversing ten long years, only to be wrapped, simply and calmly, in this single syllable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night was gentle and deep, and time glided by like water.

The birthday blessings from days bygone echoed in his head for the umpteenth time: We hope that you will remain forever carefree, that you will never have to endure any suffering, that you won't have to hurry to grow up, that you won't have to understand those complicated and contradictory things, nor make any vexing choices...

With his eyes shut, Yan Suizhi kissed Gu Yan, and after twenty-eight years, was finally able to give a response:

I'm sorry. Of those that you've hoped for, I don't seem to have been able to complete even one. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to meet someone.

So, don't worry. We'll live well.

chinese

Nothing

810 reviews44 followers

July 7, 2024

3.75🌟
Loved the relationships and the characters. Wanna ask for Laura's hand in marriage (or maybe Fitz idk)

The story dragged a bit after I hit 60% mark. I expected to see more lawyer work and court ambience rather than detective work (not that I dislike following an intricate case and plot but I'd read 2 detective-y webnovels in the span of a month and Ig I needed a palate cleanser).
Would've loved to read scenes of Dean Yan and Gu Yan at school, maybe a bit of Yanyan pining after the ever scary dean lol. The only "complain" I have is how convenient everything was. They meet two reporters accidentally and boom they find key evidence in their random ass photo storage.

One thing about Mu Su Li is they'll always write a couple which the more scary looking one is actually the softball which is hilarous and a top notch trope🌌. Overall this was lovely to read I had a lot of fun.

Nitzan Schwarz

1,204 reviews223 followers

October 12, 2022

Series Review [read fan translation, bought the jjwxc raws to support the author]

Gosh, this was such a class act danmei read!

Main Couple
Our main couple is Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi and these two have come a long way from the beginning of this story. Honestly, they are one of my favorite danmei couples to date - first of all, they are extremely supportive of each other, even before they became an official couple. There was never any doubt in their mind about the other's ability or capability and that's just a beautiful trait in my opinion. I also loved how they never hid anything from one another, choosing instead to face everything together and to believe in their partner. Again, a 10/10 trait in a couple! Moreover, they're both extremely balanced. No one was more capable than the other, and I even think the choice to have Yan Suizhi masquerade as an intern is masterful because it put them on equal footing, both the "teacher" to the other in a certain context. They were also extremely affectionate and respectful of each other, to a heartwarming degree.

Main Storyline
The storyline is a complex, emotional one that unravels over the course of the series and slowly exposes both the scope and the horror of it. No one is left untouched, and I'll admit to tearing up quite a few times. While the generation of our MCs managed to come out on top, perhaps a bit worse for wear in some cases, their predecessors haven't fared as well and their stories are quite tragic. Most of the stories here are tragic, actually, but all masterfully tinted with a lot of hope, such as in the case of . It was also quite masterful how everything was woven together by the end, almost giving it a feeling of divine intervention. I will say, though, that some of this intricate overarching plot went over my head.

Cases
I really, really enjoyed the court cases in this series. I think MSL really managed to showcase how capable both Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi are through them. They also felt relatively realistic (you know, under the system MSL establishes), and allowed to get a sense of how excellent our mcs are at their job.

Side Characters
Are a hoot. I absolutely loved every single one; Joe is such a good and loyal best friend, and he gives rich heirs a good name. Every scene he was in was a delight. The same goes for Laura and Fitz - these badass women deserve all the love, with both serving important roles in the plot. Ke Jin was definitely a stand out... for how much one character can continuously break my heart. I swear this should be illegal. Speaking of...

Side Couple: Ke Jin
This couple stole my heart from page one. While I would love a boyfriend like Gu Yan, a part of me yearns for the type of love Joe has for Ke Jin more. The type of love that will never shake, no matter the obstacle. That will survive years of mental and physical illness. Absolutely unconditional. I want that. I also want more about this couple, maybe even their own book, because and that hurts.

Villains
One-dimensional assholes. There really isn't much to say about them because they're pretty much evil for evil's sake.

fan-translation lgbtq m-m

Lukiyo

19 reviews6 followers

October 1, 2022

9/29 || review pending because it’s 3am and my brain is haywire however, i WILL write one, because every musali novel deserves a lengthy, flowery review and i also ate this novel up and am thoroughly fed

9/30 || shaking, crying, sobbing (or i was, when i finished this)

[In the light of truth eternal, justice shall remain evermore.]

there were too many quotes to actually list, but the depth of the characters in this story could hardly compare to many others i've read before. how you scratch beyond the surface of their thoughts, witness the slight of hand and the painful wait, the longing they feel for another is absolutely stunning, and exquisitely written.

the way the scenery is described, how an entire painting forms before your vision with every little detail of evoking colours is beyond me, and a skill that is both enchanting and immersive.

ALSO THEY'RE LAWYERS???

everything, from the build up of smaller cases that are linked together, unravelled gradually throughout the chapters to reveal that every little detail adds up to create a grand scheme, with twists and turns that you can't predict.

and the relationship scene between the two main characters in a slow burn, melded together after years of understanding. it's the sort of romance which is passionate and mad with longing, but also comfortable and soothing. something that doesn't need to be put in words to understand, but instead shown.

in the way a cold, seemingly indifferent man can jolt and mourn (and be paranoid about black bed sheets that remind him of funerals) for a person he admired from afar,

in the way that a teasing, sarcastic man can melt and reveal his lonely thoughts, his abandoned visions and pain, buried so deep that one would assume they never existed

OKAY also, let's talk about the side cp because of my goodness, i loved them as much as i did the main, and that's typically difficult because of the disparity in screen time, however, slight as the moments were, they were sweet and sorrowful (i won't really explain because i'm lazy, and also READ IT TO FIND OUT)

more importantly, our two main characters (both lawyers) are intelligent, have a poisonous tongue that can shoot any person down, and incredibly charming and that's all that really matters (joking, kind of)

the question is,
do you want a gripping, emotional tale of an entanglement of relationships that lead to both tragedy and happiness, depicting mourning and forgiveness, of rekindled ancient friendships and enticing cases that will leave your head spinning, yet addicted, craving for more?

GO READ IT!!!!!

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